- Shop early and often: Ross Dress for Less turns over inventory quickly, so weekday mornings, especially Monday and Tuesday, give you the best shot at fresh deals.
- Don’t shop by size alone: The best finds are often misplaced, so check nearby racks and dig past the front.
- Target high-value sections: Shoes and accessories usually offer the biggest discounts — grab them before they’re gone.
Shopping at Ross Dress for Less can either feel like a goldmine…or a complete waste of time.
Some people walk out with $200 worth of name-brand gear for $60. Others leave frustrated after digging through messy racks for 45 minutes. The difference isn’t luck. It’s strategy.
Ross operates very differently than traditional retail. If you understand how their pricing, inventory, and markdown system actually works, you can consistently find deals most shoppers miss.
First: How Ross pricing actually works (this explains a lot)
Ross isn’t running sales like a normal store does.
Instead, the store is built on more of an “opportunistic” buying model. The products you find on their shelves and racks are typically one of the following:
- Excess inventory from big brands
- Cancelled orders from department stores
- Past-season merchandise
- Overproduction directly from manufacturers
That’s why you’ll regularly see:
- Top brands like Nike, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, etc.
- Consistent pricing 20%–60% below department store pricing
But the key difference is that Ross will rarely, if ever, restock the same item.
They tend to buy small batches, sell them fast, and move on.
That’s why you’ll notice:
- Inventory is constantly changing
- Sizes are very inconsistent
- Deals disappear quickly
Once you understand that, your entire approach should change.
The #1 mindset shift: Ross is not a store—it’s a system
Most people lose money at Ross because they:
- Go in looking for something specific
- Get frustrated
- Then impulse-buy something else
That’s backwards. Instead, Ross rewards:
- Flexibility
- Patience
- Repetition
Think of it this way, you’re not necessarily shopping for super-specific items at Ross, but instead you win by looking for the best values.
The best days and times to shop Ross
Most people lose money at Ross because they walk in looking for something specific, get frustrated, then often impulse-buy something else.
Instead, you have to be flexible, patient, and learn to time your purchases.
Specifically, the best time to shop is right after new inventory hits the shelves. Ross receives shipments multiple times per week and most stocking happens in the morning.
From having talked to many Ross employees over the years, weekday mornings, particularly early in the week (on a Monday or Tuesday) is the best time to shop.
This is because a lot of restocking happens on Mondays, as stores try to replenish from weekend sales. Many stores also do their new clearance markdowns on Monday and Tuesday when the store is less crowded.
So, if at all possible, hit your local Ross on Monday, a couple hours after opening, through Tuesday, and you’ll be able to shop fresh inventory (and deals) before they get picked over.
Pro tip: If you leave this article only remembering one thing, it should be “shop Ross more often, not for longer.” Instead of one long trip, savvy Ross shoppers make quick, frequent visits, and look for new inventory and fresh clearance markdowns.
Aged 55 or older? Gotta shop on a Tuesday
Not only will you get first dibs on new inventory on a Tuesday, but if you’re 55 or older, you’ll also save an additional 10% off everything you buy.
There's also no sign-up required to get their senior discount. All you need to do is flash your ID at check-out, and Ross will happily give you an extra 10% off.
Where the best deals are hiding inside the store
Ross isn’t built for easy shopping. It’s built to move inventory fast. Stuff comes in, stuff goes out, and nobody’s carefully organizing it in between. That chaos? That’s where the savings live if you know how to work it.
1. The wrong-size racks (this is where the gold is)
People grab a medium, hold it up to look at it, decide it’s not right for them… and often toss it wherever they’re standing. Very rarely does someone walk it back to the “right” rack.
So now you’ve got:
- Smalls hiding in larges
- Premium brands mixed into random sections
- Clearance-level deals sitting in plain sight… just in the wrong spot
If you’re only shopping your exact size rack, you’re missing a huge chunk of inventory.
What to do instead:
- Always scan the rack one size up and one size down from your actual size.
- Check racks right next to your section (especially those endcaps).
- Look for higher-quality fabrics or brands first, then check for your size.
From shopping at Ross over the years, I’ve found that a lot of my best finds felt more like mistakes. Because they are.
Pro tip: Buy now, decide later. Because the good stuff at Ross disappears quickly, when you find a good deal, buy it and decide at home. Ross has a generous 30-day return window which gives you plenty of time to try it on at home when you’re not rushed.
2. The back of racks (where patience pays off)
Most Ross shoppers shop like this: Quick glance → grab what’s in front → move on
That means the front of every rack gets picked over fast. What’s left behind or shoved back?
Usually, the better stuff that just didn’t catch someone’s eye in two seconds.
You’ll find:
- Name brands pushed behind generic items
- Nicer pieces hidden behind loud or outdated styles
- Out-of-season gems that people overlooked
If you’re willing to actually dig, you instantly have less competition.
Simple rule: Don’t trust the first five items on any rack. That’s just what everyone else already rejected or skimmed.
Instead, try this:
- Slide hangers over and scan everything
- Look for quality (stitching, fabric, weight) instead of just style
- Take two extra minutes per rack
This is the difference between “Ross is picked over” and “Ross is amazing.”
3. Shoes and accessories (highest ROI in the whole store)
If you only have 10–15 minutes, skip the clothing entirely and go here.
Ross quietly crushes it in:
- Athletic shoes
- Brand-name sneakers
- Handbags and backpacks
Why this section matters more:
Clothing discounts are nice, but shoes and accessories often have the biggest price gaps vs retail.
You’ll regularly see:
- $80–$120 sneakers marked down to $30–$50
- Recognizable brands that people specifically search for
- Items that hold resale value if you know what you’re looking at
This is why resellers camp-out in this section.
How to shop it smarter:
- Check multiple sizes (people try on and ditch boxes everywhere)
- Look for slight box damage — price is the same, product isn’t
- Scan quickly for known brands before digging deeper
Even if you don’t resell, this is where you’ll feel the biggest “wow, that’s cheap” moments.
Pro tip: Learn your store’s patterns by talking to employees. Every Ross location is slightly different. So, by starting up a friendly conversation, you’ll learn your store’s exact restock schedule, clearance markdown days, and the best days to shop.